His
by CookieDuo
Summary: He was hers, she was his, and that was the end of it. Warning: Dark!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! **

**This is a one-shot that I needed to get out of my head before continuing with my current fic "National Pride", it's slightly angsty and pretty dark and be gentle with me, this is my first attempt at a lemon so don't be to harsh. **

**Let me know what you think, if you like it I can make it a two-shot, possibly a three shot :)**

**Love you all!**

**-L:)**

* * *

"_La Rose" _was the number one gentlemans-club in the city, the clientel was exclusive and the girls were exquisit. The clubs one big mantra was respecting the clients privacy, keeping their best interest at heart and staying subtle.

The walls were a dark shade of mahogany, the lights dimmed and candles flickered around the room, creating a sensual atmosphere that immediately put the clients at ease. Smiling girls with low-cut knee length black dresses walked about the room with trays of drinks, occasionally disappearing with a client or sitting down for a nice intimate conversation.

The music was slow and consisted of voices like Adele and Lana Del Ray, deep and sensual, erotic and relaxing, and every girls hip swayed seductively as they moved about the room. Caroline had been one of those girls not to long ago, she still remembered the moves and feels that accompanied it.

She was a small town girl from Virginia with her entire life planned ahead of her. She was going to attend college, get a degree in journalism maybe, than she'd travel the world for a while before she'd come back home to settle down and have a family to herself. Get a job at the local news station, find a good man to marry and buy a nice house with a white picket fence before having a couple of kids and maybe a dog, it had seemed like the perfect life for her back then.

Things had changed and so had she and her life hadn't turned out at all like she planned, it seemed fate had other plans for her.

Her wedding-band glimmered in the light from the flickering candle on the middle of the table in the private booth she was occupying, her finger trailing up and down the rim of her wine glass.  
She was wearing a red open-back low plunge dress that reached her mid-thighs, a diamond bracelet around her wrist and black stillettos that elongated her already long legs.

He was dancing with a pretty brunette, whispering something in her ear that made her smile intimately before twirling her around and pulling her back into his arms, his hands sliding down to rest on the small of her back. Caroline was used to it by now, this wasn't the first time he'd flirted with someone else in front of her and it wouldn't be the last, but she'd learned not to comment on it, it was pointless anyway.

She locked eyes with Tyler across the room where he stood by the door in his dark suit, arms folded and expressionless. Tyler was one of his men, he had been assigned to her personal security detail after it was clear she was to become a permanent fixture in Klaus life and one fateful night six months ago when she'd discovered her husbands second affair she'd turned to him for comfort and they'd continued they're affair since then. They were discreet of course, if Klaus found out, one or both of them would end up in the Hudson river as food for the fishes and they both knew it.

Finishing her glass of wine she stepped out of the booth and walked through the club, avoiding her husband and his newest plaything as she headed for the door.  
"I'd like to go home now," she told the men assigned with her protection and Stefan locked eyes with Tyler before he nodded and held open the door for her, Tyler walking out first and she was right behind him, Stefan following her trail.

Once they got to the car Tyler rounded to the driversside and before she could get in, Stefan grabbed her elbow gently and pulled her aside to have a private word at her, he was the only other person who knew about the affair.

"You need to be careful Caroline, he's getting suspicious" he warned her quietly and she pursed her lips in dislike.  
"He doesn't pay enough attention to be suspicious" she countered before pulling away from him and sliding into the back of the car, turning her head to look out the window as the black Rolls Royce pulled away from the curb.

* * *

She was resting on the bed with a book when he came home three hours later, her hair was still moist for her shower and her silk night gown curled around her thighs, she didn't even look at him as he stepped into the room.

The bed dipped on his side and he sat with his back to her, shoulders tense and she glanced at him over the top of her book, his jaw rigid and his hands laying loosely across his lap he was holding something she couldn't quite see. It was then she noticed the blood on his collar and his jaw, marking the page she put the book down and turned on her side to expect him further.

He must have sensed her eyes on him because he turned to look at her, his eyes hard and she noticed he had a split lip, had he gotten in a fight?  
"How long?" he finally uttered and the steely calm in his voice suddenly had her whole body on alert.  
"How long what?" she asked clearing her voice and his jaw tightened more if possible.  
"You and Lockwood, how long?" she could feel herself falling pale, her stomach dropping and her hands involuntarily balled into tight fists around the sheets. The way he said it, with such certainty, there was no point in lying to him, he already knew and her only option was to tell the truth.  
"Six months" she admitted quietly and he nodded sharply before he stood up.  
"Do you love him?" she swallowed and looked away from him. No, she didn't love Tyler, he was a means to an end and nothing more. He was there when she needed comfort and she took it.  
"No," she told him truthfully and turned back to look at him, conveying the truth with her eyes.  
"Then you won't miss him" he stated with finality and she finally realized what he was holding in his hand, it was a heart. A human heart and she had one guess to who it belonged to.

Dropping the heart to the floor unceremoniously he left her there and walked into the bathroom, her eyes remained on the discarded heart and she knew she should feel bad about Tylers death but she didn't, she was just relieved it wasn't her heart lying on the floor. Maybe it would be, but for now she was still alive and that discarded heart took her back to a time two years ago.

She had just moved in with him and Rebekah, her now sister-in-law had taken her out dancing one night, Klaus men had tagged along to keep an eye on them by his orders. As the night progressed a guy had hit on her, she seemed to recall his name was Ethan, he was a handsome guy that reminded her of her childhood friend Matt.

During the night he'd danced with her, his hands resting on her hips, his lips whispering sweet nothings in her ear and she'd smiled and played along for a brief time, she was taken but every girl like a little extra attention once in a while.

The next morning his face had been splayed out on every news channel and on the front page of every newspaper, he'd been found in the hudson river early that morning. His hands were chopped off, his eyes removed and his lips shewn shut. The police had considered it to be an act to cover his identity but she knew better. His hands were taken because they'd touched her, his eyes removed because he'd watched her and his mouth sewn shut because hid whispered in her ear, things no one but Klaus was allowed to do and she'd taken the warning then and realized it now.

He had removed Tylers heart under the impression that he had stolen hers, but he was wrong, Tyler had never come close to doing that.

The door to the bathroom opened and Klaus stepped out with sweats hanging low on his hips, drops still running down his chest from his shower and his hair ruffled from running a towel through it.  
"It belongs to you" she told him quietly and he looked up at her, folding his arms and adopting a casual stance as he leaned back against the doorframe.  
"My heart," she explained and straightened up, curling her legs beneath her.  
"It will always belong to you." and it was true, it didn't matter what he did or how much he hurt her, some things would never change and her love for him was one of those things.

He flicked off the bathroom lights before he pushed away from the bed and stalked towards her, she swallowed as he placed his hands on the edge of the bed and leaned towards her, lifting one hand to rub a strand of her hair between his fingertips. He let go of it and trailed his hand down her neck, wrapping it around her throat in a gentle yet unbreakable grip and rubbing his thumb against her chin.  
"Cheat on me again and it will be your heart on the floor" he said deceptively soft and she closed her eyes, he tilted her chin back and then she felt his lips on her, tender at first and then it became rougher and his tongue against her bottom lip demanded entrance and she willingly gave it to him.

He lowered her down onto the bed and released her throat, his skilful fingers moving to push the straps of her nightgown down her shoulders, and she let him. He pulled the silk fabric down her body and dropped it to the floor where it landed on top of the heart, the white material turning red as it was soaked with blood.

His hands roamed over her naked form. Down the sides of her body, over her breasts, on the inside of her thighs, his touch leaving a burning sensation whereever his fingers brushed over her sensitive skin.

Kicking off his sweats he intertwined their hands and pinned them above her head as he positioned himself at her entrance, his kisses were bruising, his teeth nipping at her neck causing her to whimper in a mix of pain and pleasure. He made sure her eyes were open and locked with his before he pushed into her, painfully slow until he'd filled her completely and she moaned at the sensation. Pulling out he slammed back into her with such force it moved them up the bed and she gasped his name, knowing this was his intention all along.

To him this had nothing to do about making love to his wife, no this was about marking her, branding her as his, making her aware of who exactly she belonged to. He kept up his punishing rythm, her fingers stretching out as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist as her orgasm hit her and she called out his name, he followed soon after and collapsed on top of her.

They lay there in the dimly lit bedroom of their home, the only sound the one of their heavy breaths. He released her hands after what could have been hours and she ran a hand through his hair as his breath fanned out over her chest and he lay listening to her heart as it beat inside her chest.

* * *

Her heart lay next to her body on cold concrete floor of the Brooklyn warehouse. Her eyes were wide open, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth and the blood pippling out from the gaping hole in her chest stained her black dress.

A pool of blood spread out around her, her pale skin drenched in the red liquid and her legs bent in an unnatural angle.

The heart was picked up and wrapped in a handker-chief before it was carried back to the black sleek SUV out front, hopping into the backseat everyone was quiet as they were ordered to return home.

He turned away from the easel when he heard the door to his easel open and watched as a bloodsoaked handkerchief was dropped to the ground, a human heart rolling out of the fabric and stopping by his feet.

"I hope you won't miss her," he looked up only to see her golden mane disappear down the hall, Stefan appearing a second later.

"Haley's dead," he told him and Klaus glanced down at the heart by his feet, despite himself he couldn't help but let his lips curl into a smirk before he stepped over the heart and followed his wife back to their room.

He heard the sink running in the bathroom and pushing open the door he found his wife with her hands under the running water, her delicate fingers washing away the blood that covered her skin.

"It belongs to you," he repeated her words from months ago and she stilled for a moment before she continued her ministrations.  
"My heart," he said and stepped into the room to take up position behind her.  
"It belongs to you." she turned off the sink and reached over wipe her hands on a handtowel before she turned to face him. Her hand came up to wrap around his neck and her thumb brushed against his jaw.  
"Cheat on me again and it's going to be your heart on the floor" he smirked and reached out to place his hands on her waist, pulling her tighter and placing a kiss on the crown of her head.  
"Never" he promised and led her into the bedroom.

They were the same the two of them, he owned her heart just like she owned his.

One day perhaps, they would both find themselves with their hearts on the floor, but for now they had an agreement.

He was hers, she was his, and that was the end of it.


	2. Chapter 2: Queen of Hearts

**Sooo... turns out it wasn't just a one-shot, but the responses I received were so good and I just want to thank you all! **

**Now fair warning; this is considerably darker than the previous one, very dark Caroline right here, but in honor of the upcoming emotionless Caroline I wanted to try something different.  
**

**Dark themes ahead, so your warned again, read on your own risk. **

**Don't hate me!**

**\- L **

* * *

The east end of central park was cealed off, red and blue lights flashing in the dark night. Cops stood outside of the cealed off perimeter, no one wanted to go beyond the tapes to get a closer look, they left that to the CSI's.

The walkway had become a river of blood, smoke rose up from a tall pile at the far end, but they didn't need a closer look to see what was burning, the smell of burnt flesh and the glimpses of limbs provided by the fire was all they needed. A rookie cop had been the first on the scene and now he was in the hospital, being treated for shock and he'd need years of extensive therapy to get the image out of his head.

Thin rope wires were hanging down the trees along the path, a human heart attached at the end of all of them, the whole scene was gruesome and everyone currently present would have nightmares about the horror for years to come.

* * *

Her head rested on his chest and she listened to his heart beating steadily with closed eyes. She heard footsteps approaching from outside the hall and opened her eyes to train them on the door, her brother-in-law Elijah, appeared with a steady expression and she pulled herself into an upright position.

"Is it done?" stepping into the room he pulled his phone out of his inner pocket and handed it to her, scanning the screen she saw an article on the Times, depicting the gruesome scene discovered in central park, describing it as something pulle out of a horror movie. Handing the phone back to him she climbed out of bed and pulled on her heels, accepting his hand when he offered it to her and allowed him to escort her through the vast mansion and down the steps to the underground cellar.

The smell of blood hit her nostrils the second she stepped into the dark cellar, the only light that off the flickering flames along the hallway, a wooden door at the end stood ajar and the sound of screams and pleas reached her ears.

She was innocent once, the small town girl with a sheriff as her mother and the perfect life planned ahead of her. Her life was bright with light and laughter, she was happy and vibrant with no care for the dangers of the big bad world.

That was a long time ago, no longer was she that innocent small town girl, she was no naive or ignorant anymore, she had been enlightened to the dangers of the world and even the brightest of lights were drawn to the darkness.

Elijah pushed open the door for her and she stepped into the small room where a man sat tied to a chair, his head hanging loosely and his breathing heavy with sobs. Stefan stood off to the far corner of the room, wiping his bloody hands on a filthy rag and looked up at her as he heard them enter.

"He's all yours," he informed her and leaned back against the wall with folded arms, she could see the grief she felt mirrored back at her in his eyes, a deep hatred for the man in the chair passing between them.  
She walked slowly into the room and approached the table with different kinds of devices meant to inflict pain splayed out, from the corner of her eyes she could see the prisoners eyes following her move and she didn't so much as spare him a glance before picking up a delicate sharp silver dagger and twirling it between her fingers, examining the sharp tip and pressing her thumb against it. The blood pippled out of the small puncture and she lifted the thumb to her mouth, sucking away the blood before turning to look at him.

"What do you think, Elijah?" she questioned casually and the elegantly dressed man stepped further into the room, removing his jacket and rolling up the sleeves of his tailored shirt carefully.  
"May I?" he held out his hand palm open and she placed the knife in his hand.  
"Please," she joined Stefan by the wall and watched as Elijah rounded the man, never flinching once the screams started again and the blood flowed freely down the mans skin.

He was on the brink of death by the time it was her turn, Elijahs skin was coated in blood from his arms to his face and the handle of the knife was slick with the red liquid when he handed it back to her.

She locked eyes with Stefan and he stepped up behind him, holding his head back so he was forced to look at her, a sneer on his face, the only unharmed part of him. His face wasn't to be harmed, that had been her orders, she wanted everyone to know who he was once his body was discovered.  
"I want you to look at me when I carve out your heart," she told him and he spit at her, she smiled and wiped away the saliva with the back of her hand before she went to work.  
Very slowly she carved into him, enjoying every scream and tormented cry he let slip past his lips.  
On his chest she carved a perfect picture of the human heart, superficial wounds that would heel over time if given the chance, but that wasn't an option. She plunged the knife deep into his flesh and followed the markings, chanching the knife for a bone-saw once she hit the ribcage and when she finally plunged her hand inside his chest and gripped his heart he was already dead. With a few choice cuts and a rough tug, the heart was torn from his chest and she clutched the offensive thing in her hand.

* * *

When he woke it was to the image of his wife laying across his chest, her hands covered in blood and the tips of her golden hair coated in red, her breath was soft and he watched her chest rise and fall heavily.  
Carefully so not to wake her he pulled out from under hear and walked carefully into the bathroom, examining himself in the mirror as he removed the bandage on his chest where the knife had punctured his skin, barely missing his heart.

He remembered the single tear slipping out his sisters eye as she lay next to him on the ground, her body bloodied and broken, a deep gash in her chest. He had survived, she hadn't been so fortunate.

Pulling a henley over his head he walked out of the room and down the hall to his studio, a jar stood positioned on his desk, a envelope with his name scribbled in a delicate scripture leaning up against it.

He picked up the envelope and glanced at the jar, it contained a heart which he discovered in closer inspection had an M carved into it. Opening the envelope he pulled a sheet of his own stationery, recognizing his wives writing.

_I'm sorry for taking the opportunity away from you. _

_However, his actions could not go unpunished, revenge needed to be done. _

_Consider this a gift from me to you in honor of our lost sister. _

_Your Queen of Hearts._

He gently put the card back in the envelope and lifted the jar to further inspect it, a knock on his door alerting him he had company.

"I'm glad you're awake," his brothers voice rung out behind him and he turned around with the jar in hand.  
"Queen of hearts?" he questioned and Elijah smiled fondly before stepping further into the room.  
"Your wife is a woman not to be trifled with," he said before handing him a paper with yesterdays news, the front page depicting the story of a gruesome find in Central Park, followed by another find discovered in the hudson river.  
"This was her?" Elijah nodded and inspected him closely, trying to read his reaction.  
"She cut that out herself," he finally said and looked at the jar he was holding.

Stepping back into the bedroom he watched her sleep soundly on their bed and wondered how a woman so full of light could be so dark. She was beautiful with her hair splayed out around her, creamy flesh so soft to the touch and red alluring lips, she was an angel of death, a queen in her right element.

The grief accompanying the loss of his sister was crushing, the anger of seeing her life drain from her eyes all consuming, but one look at the blonde on his bed made it bearable.

"Bekah," she mumbled in her sleep and she tossed around restlessly on the bed, tears slipping out the corner of her eyes.  
"Nik," her pained gasp as she rolled over onto his side of the bed followed by a pained whimper made him see a vulnerability he rarely got to experience. She had feared for his life, taken her revenge for the loss of his sister in the most gruesome way and she was still afraid of losing him.

Walking back to the bed he pulled her into his arms and her eyes fluttered open.  
"You're awake," she breathed with pain and relief and clutched him tightly, burying her head in the crook of his neck and he could feel her warm tears hit his skin.  
"Shh, love." He murmured and stood up with her in his arms, one arm wrapped around her shoulder and the other under her thighs as he carried her into the bathroom and turned on the faucet in the tub. Setting her down on the toilet he undressed her, pulling one of his shirts over her head and removing her underwear before stripping out of his own clothes and lowering her into the warm water, sliding in behind her.

She leaned back against him and gripped his hands tightly as she continued her silent weeping.

A lot of hearts had been discarded last night, men ripped apart and burned on the fire, all by her doing.

Her heart was intact, as was his, and that was the end of it.


	3. Chapter 3: I think I'm falling for you

**Hiya!**

**Thank you for all of your amazing reviews! So this fic suddenly isn't a one-shot anymore but it won't be a continuing story either. It's more like a bunch of drabbles from the same story, they won't necessarily be related, but I hope that's okay :)**

**As for the last part, the "M" on the heart stood for Mikaelson, not Mikael and as for the owner of that heart, originally I was unsure whether it was Mikael or Marcel (nothing against Marcel, but his relationship with Rebekah was a clue in that one), but considering most of you thought it to be Mikael I'll go with that for now. I think I can work with that later ;)**

**As for this particular story, this is about how they first met and how their relationship evolved, this one isn't all that dark, kind of sweet actually for a change. **

**Hope you like it, tell me what you think!**

**Until next time my lovelies 3**

**-L**

* * *

She stood in front of the mirror in the changing room, leaning further into the light she applied a fresh coat of lipstick and fluffed up her hair, grinding her lips together softly and removing the smudged lipstick with a wet paper towel until they looked perfect. Straightening up she pulled her shirt over her head as she walked back to her locker and stripped out of her jeans, folding the clothes neatly and placing them in the shelf at the top before pulling out the standard black dress with the sweetheart neckline and open back that reached her mid-thigh.

Grabbing the zipper on the side she pulled it up and stepped into the required black pumps, turning to take a last glance at herself in the mirror she took a deep breath, plastered on a warm smile and moved out of the changing room and into the club.

Anna was a petite brunette with big brown eyes and a pretty face, she was one of the first girls who befriended her at "_La Rose" _and Caroline valued her friendship immensely, she'd been the one who'd best helped her transition into the ways of the club and taught her the rules.

"Hey Anna," the brunette smiled up at her tiredly and she noticed how pale she was, her eyes were distant and her hands were shaking, in fact her entire body was shaking.  
"You okay?" she asked in worry and Anna sighed and leaned back against the bar, both girls momentarily forgetting they were supposed to be working.  
"I think I'm coming down with something," she murmured and Caroline felt bad for her, she hated beeing sick and it was even worse having to work when you were.  
"Then go home," Caroline urged and Anna smiled softly.  
"If only it was that simple," she said and eyed the clubs manager, he was strict about the girls being late or not showing up, pointing out that he was running a professional establishment and there was no leniency for slackers.  
"He can't keep you here if your sick, besides if you hint that you might be contagious I'm willing to bet he'd chase you out of here. He certainly won't want you to make the clients sick," she said casually and Anna giggled softly next to her.  
"You're cunning, you know that?" Caroline shrugged and winked at her friend.  
"It comes in handy sometimes" Anna just shook her head and straightened up.  
"You know what, I think I'm gonna tell him that." She agreed and Caroline nodded approvingly, urging her to go on.

"Here you go, Care" she turned to the bartender, a nice guy named Jason with dark green eyes and amber hair, he'd asked her out a few times already but she always declined, she didn't have time for relationships right now.  
"Thanks," she told him and accepted the tray of drinks he handed her, straightening her back, puffing out her chest and with a seductive plastered on smile she was ready to get to work.

* * *

His night had been less than enjoyable, he had very little patience left and he wanted a nice quiet drink and perhaps some company before heading home after yet an eventful day, a little to eventful really.

"_La Rose" _was owned by his younger brother Kol and it was a respectable establishment that he'd taken a quick liking to. The girls were first class and lately he'd been spending a lot of time with one in particular, she was an innocent little thing, nothing remarkable about her really, but he enjoyed the way she sat quietly and listened to him talk about his day. She was good company, offering her input whenever he allowed her to and keeping silent the rest of the time, Anna was her name, a sweet girl.

"Wait outside," he told his men and they nodded, the only one following him inside being Stefan Salvatore, his right hand man and best friend, who also happened to be his sisters fiance.

It was a slow night he could tell, it was still early he supposed and only a few of those he recognized as regulars sat around in booths and on the couches, girls walking around in their tight little dresses with seductive smiles on their lips, flirting and laughing when given attention.

He walked through the club and slid into his private booth, his eyes scanning the room for his little brunette, sadly she was no where in sight.

"I'm just gonna make a call," Stefan excused himself and he waved him off, smiling at the redhead who delivered him his regular tumbler of scotch before returning to whatever else she was doing.

His eyes wandered across the locale and it was there he spotted her, Anna was standing by the bar hidden in the shadows, talking quietly to another girl he could only see the back of. Tall and blonde with creamy legs miles long, because of her long legs the dress barely past as decent and his eyes landed on her very delectable dereary, he was certain he hadn't seen her before.

He looked up as Stefan returned and slid into the booth across from him.  
"How is my sister?" he questioned and Stefan sighed as he grabbed a glass and poured himself a drink from the tumbler.  
"Impatient, but what else is new?" he mused and Klaus chuckled, he knew how much of a handful Rebekah could be, she had been a particularly difficult child growing up, giving his mother several aneurisms during her teenage years.  
"And you plan on marrying her, good luck with that mate" he grinned and Stefan just shook his head with a soft smile before they fell back into a comfortable silence.

He saw Anna step away from the blonde with a hand on her arm in a gentle squeeze before heading to the back room, the blonde turning to look after her with an amused smile and he finally got the chance to examine her face. Long blonde locks framing a stunning face with bright blue eyes, full red lips and rosy cheeks, a stunning specimen this one.  
"Have you seen her before?" he asked Stefan who turned to look in his direction before shaking his head.  
"Not that I remember, but I do seem to recall Kol mentioning something about a new batch of girls, "even prettier than the last" he mimicked Kols voice with the most horrible fake accent Klaus had ever heard and he burst out laughing.  
"Yes, a real beauty this one," he agreed quietly and lifted his drink to his lips, watching her with a mix of curiosity and determination, perhaps it was time to change his choice of company again.

* * *

Caroline was carrying a tray of empty glasses back to the bar when Anna approached her for the third time that night, this time in jeans, blouse and a jacket, her hair pulled up in a pony tail and a tired smile on her face.  
"I'm off" she said and Caroline nodded, happy that her friend was getting some much needed rest and hopefully she'd recover from whatever illness she'd attracted.  
"Good, get some rest okay," she ordered more than asked and her friend turned to look around the room, her shoulders tensing as she caught sight of someone in the far back in one of the more private booths and cursing low under her breath.  
"What?" she asked in confusion and Anna sighed before she turned to look at her again.  
"You know the client I've been telling you about, the owners brother? He's here, and I'm supposed to be his regular company." she explained and Caroline frowned, she could see the wheels turning in Anna's head, thinking about whether or not she should change back and go to him or just head home.  
"Go home Anna," she ordered and the brunette looked uncertain and Caroline could see she was hesitant.  
"Listen, I'll cover for you tonight. He can spare your company for one night," she said firmly yet with a soft undernote and with a yawn it seemed Annas decision was made.  
"Thanks Care, I owe you" she said and Caroline winked before pushing her towards the door.  
"Don't worry about it, you can pay me back later"

After she'd watched Anna leave, she straightened her dress, checked her pocket mirror to make sure she looked presentable and started across the floor towards the booth where Anna's regular was sitting, he wasn't alone she could tell and she was not ignorant of the way his eyes followed her every step.

"Mr. Mikaelson?" she inquired softly and he arched a brow at her, her eyes flickered to the other man before she cleared her voice and gripped the chair in front of her.  
"I'm Caroline, Anna has grown ill so she went home, I'll be your company for the evening unless you want someone else?" she suggested and he smirked before he made a gesture with his hands towards the chair she was gripping and she pulled it out, settling down and crossing her legs.

"Nice to meet you, Caroline, please call me Klaus" he told her and she nodded before shooting another uncertain glance at his friend who hardly seemed to notice her presence.  
"Don't mind him, love. That's just Stefan," her eyes were drawn back to Klaus and she took the time get a proper look at him.

He was handsome, unruly blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, charming dimples. He was dressed in black from head to toe, she spotted a necklace beneath the color of his shirt, and his left leg was thrown over his right casually, arms spread out along the length of the booth. There was something about him though, she could tell just by looking at him that he was dangerous, there was something in his eyes, a predatory look that made shivers run down her spine and the way he carried himself with such confidence. She'd hate to get on this guys bad side.

"I think I'm gonna head home, your sister is going to kill me if I ditch her again," Stefan broke her out of her inner assessment and she turned her head back as he slid out of the booth, he locked eyes with Klaus and they seemed to have a silent conversation before he bid her his goodbye and headed out.

"And then there were two," Klaus commented and she eyed him curiously. He seemed to enjoy her silence, the way she watched him barely contained interest.  
"Tell me about yourself, love. I haven't seen you here before" she tapped her nails against the table and looked out at the club she spent her nights in.  
"There's not much to tell. I'm new, it's a nice job" she shrugged and returned her eyes to his.  
"What about you?" He smirked and leaned forward to grab his drink.  
"What about me?" she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, for some reason she suspected he wouldn't find that charming.  
"What do you do? Where are you from? You know, regular topics of conversation." She had no idea what had gotten into her, she was never this forward with a client, she could hear she was coming off as slightly disrespectful.  
"Nosy little thing, aren't you?" he commented amused and this time she did roll her eyes.  
"First of all; I'm not _little. _Secondly, I like to get to know the people I spend time with." He smirked and threw back the last remnants of his drink.  
"You are very beautiful, Caroline." he said and she was so surprised by the sudden change in conversation she was taken aback by his attempt at charm, a very successful attempt.

"Your changing the subject," she accused and his smirk turned into a wolfish grin.  
"Am I making you flustered, Caroline? A woman such as yourself must receive compliments frequently." She turned her head away and felt her jaw clench. He was right, she got compliments all the time, but just once she'd like to be complimented on something other then her looks, she may look like a dumb naive blonde but she wasn't.  
"Yeah, well. Not all compliments are welcomed" she said quietly without looking at him and she could hear him move before she felt his hand grab her chin softly and he turned her head to look at him.  
"Your beauty is nothing to be ashamed of, love. Few woman are blessed with your kind of beauty, you should be grateful." he told her and she snorted before ripping her chin away, he wouldn't be saying that if he had any inkling of knowledge about her past. Being pretty wasn't always a good thing, she'd learned that the hard way.

"I'm not ashamed, but for once I'd like to be credited for more than my looks. I'm more than just big boobs, blonde hair and curvy hips," she said quietly and stood up, running her hands down her dress as she looked at him.  
"Now if you'll please excuse me, I need a minute to freshen up." she didn't wait for his response before she turned on her heel and walked to the changing room, spending a good five minutes in the bathroom just gripping the sink and getting her emotions under control. She was still new to this, but she knew she'd been far to free-spoken and forward, she was supposed to listen and flirt, that was her job. Sharing her insecurities wasn't part of the job description.

* * *

It was well past three in the morning when her shift was over and she was the last girl left, waving goodbye to Jason before stepping outside and tightening her jacket around herself to shield herself from the cold autumn breeze.

She felt like creeping into her bed and sleep until next week, but the painful knowledge that she had a shift at the diner by her restaurant at noon lingered in her mind.  
Hailing a cab turned out to be harder then she'd expected, they just kept driving right past her and as the third cab drove by she threw her hands out in irritation.  
"Seriously?!" she yelled out at no one in particular and huffed before digging through her purse for her lighter and pack of cigarettes, deciding she might as well walk the seven blocks to her apartment, it was probably quicker.

The cigarette between her lips, lighter in hand and scarf wrapped tightly around her neck, she looked up as a black SUV pulled up to the curb next to her and the back window rolled down.  
"Need a lift, love?" finally having lighted her cigarette she shook her head and blew out a cloud of smoke.  
"No thanks, I'm good." she said and waved him on, but of course he wouldn't give up that easily.  
"Come on, Caroline. It's freezing outside, really its not a problem" he said and she ws aware of how deceptively soft his voice was, she was sure he was anything but soft.

"I'm good, my apartments within walking distance" it wasn't a complete lie, she could easily walk even though it would take her at least an hour before she was home.  
The car stopped and he got out of the car and rounded the front until he was face to face with her.  
"Is there some reason your so reluctant about accepting my most generous offer?" Folding one arm across her chest, she took a step back and another drag of her cigarette before she replied.  
"I don't accept rides from strangers," nothing good ever came out of that, again, something she'd learned the hard way.

"I'm not a stranger" he countered, and despite her self she laughed.  
"I don't know you well enough," she tried again and this time that smirk of his was back, dimples and all.  
"It's only a lift, Caroline. Unless of course, your afraid of being alone with me?" he said a little to suggestively for her liking as he looked up at her under his lashes and she narrowed her eyes before dropping her cigarette to the ground and crushing the butt under the heel of her boot.  
"Don't flatter yourself" she snorted before she stepped by him and wrenched open the door to the back seat, sliding in without catching the victorious grin on his face as he jogged around the back of the car to get in on the other side.

The drive to her apartment was quiet, she kept her body angled away from him and looked out the window at the dark and nearly deserted streets, sleeping buildings and a few yawning faces here and there, but all the way she could feel his gaze on her.

The car pulled up on the curb outside her apartmentbuilding and before she had freed herself of her seatbelt and reached for the handle, one of his men had jumped out of the car and held it up for her.  
"Thanks," she told him quietly and climbed gracefully out of the car, her tired feet a little wobbly when they hit the ground and she placed a hand on the car to steady herself.

Righting herself she pulled on the hem of her dress and turned around, poking her head back into the car and locking eyes with Klaus.  
"Thank you" her voice was soft and accompanied with a genuine small smile, his eyes were watchful as they remained locked on her.  
"Don't mention it, love" he winked and she rolled her eyes before straightening again.  
She had made it to her front door when his voice called out from behind again.  
"Sweet dreams, Caroline" she halted with the key in the door for a moment and resisted the urge to turn around, but she did allow herself to smile when she finally pushed open the door and made her way up the five flights of stairs to her apartment.

That night she crawled into bed with a sense of female pride and newfound confidence, that a man like Klaus was intrigued enough to offer her a safe ride home did something to a girls insecurities, they diminished somehow.

She'd asked around about him after he left, the girls didn't know all that much about him; dangerous, rich, powerful was the way they summed him up, but judging by the envious looks and whispered conversations about him she knew there was more to him and she wasn't sure she was ready to find out what that was.

Still, the attention felt good and she was a little flattered, but it would take hell freezing over before she admitted that out loud.

* * *

She'd thought it was only a one time thing, him giving her a ride home, but she was wrong. When she got of work he'd be waiting outside leaning back against his car with a smirk and she just rolled her eyes before lighting a cigarette, finishing it and stomping it under her boot before sliding into the car.

Conversation was kept to a minimum, first it was only "thank you" and "sweet dreams Caroline", then they moved on to short actual conversations. She'd tell him bits and pieces of her life, where she came from, how old she was, when her birthday was, that kind of thing. In return he'd share something about himself, he spoke often of his family, but he always kept the topic of his line of work, and she didn't ask.

"I'm going out of town for a few days, business" he told her one night and oddly she felt a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to spend the end of her nights with him, he'd become a constant in her life and as strange as it was, she'd come to depend on him in some weird way.  
"Have a nice trip," she told him that night and before she slipped out of the car she leaned over and brushed her lips against his cheek, averting her eyes before heading out and into her cold empty and all too lonely apartment.

The next night she'd been prepared to walk home after work, but his car was parked out front when she stepped out and his driver stood waiting for her.  
"Mr. Mikaelson sends his regards" he'd said simply and she'd felt her heart flutter a little before she'd slipped into the car, it felt empty without him there and the silence on the way to her apartment was unwelcome, she missed his voice and that scared her.

"Good night, miss Forbes" she'd waved her goodbye and that night when she lay in bed she thought about his smile and his crystal blue eyes. Reaching over for her phone she'd bit her lip before she found his name in her contacts, haven gotten his number a few weeks ago, "in case of emergencies" he'd said and she had rolled her eyes, but tonight she felt the desire to use it.

_Sweet dreams, Klaus _she typed a quick text and pressed send before she could change her mind. That night she went to sleep with a smile, and her dreams were sweet.

* * *

It had been four days since he left and his driver had been there to take her home every night, she winced as she pulled on her coat, the bruise on her upper right arm throbbing at the move of her muscles. She wrapped a scarf around her neck, Anna had been sweet enough to borrow it to her, it did a good job of hiding the purple mark around her throat.

She hated how weak she was, hated how she'd given in to the charm of yet another bad guy with a deceptive charm and sweet words. She hadn't told Klaus she'd met someone, she didn't want him to know because for some reason she felt like she was betraying him, almost _cheating _even, which was stupid because it's not like they were together or anything. They had a tentative friendship, at best, but still...

"Night Aiden," she waved at the nights bartender and he waved back as she made her way outside, her lips breaking into a smile when Klaus was there again, then she remembered the bruises and her smile slipped away.

"Your back" she stated and he smiled before pulling open the door.  
"I am" he agreed and she slipped past him, covering a wince as her arm brushed against him and he didn't seem to notice.

"Your unusually quiet tonight," he commented after a time of silence, breaking her out of her thoughts and she turned to look at him.  
"Tired is all," she told him and turned her eyes to the window again, momentarily forgetting herself she unwrapped her scarf and dropped it in her lap, it wasn't until she heard the sharp intake of breath next to her that she realized her mistake.

"What happened?" he demanded and she scrambled to re-wrap the scarf but he caught her wrist and she stilled at his touch.  
"Nothing," she muttered and avoided his prying gaze, looking everywhere but at him, she didn't want to see the sympathy or judgement that was surely in his eyes, speaking of how weak she truly was.  
"Caroline," and it was that one uttering of her name that broke her, that broke the damn she'd worked so hard to put up, her body shook and tears streamed down her face.  
"I'm so sorry," she whispered brokenly and suddenly she found herself pulled into his arms, her head buried in the crook of his neck.  
"Shh, love. Tell me who did this to you," he both soothed and demanded at the same time and she sniffled and buried her nose closer to his neck, breathing in his scent and letting the steady beat of his heart calm her own erratic one.

She told him everything, how she'd met him at a bar three weeks ago, how she'd tried to end it and his reaction, how he wouldn't leave her alone and left his bruising marks on her body. He remained silent as she spoke, his hand rubbing soothingly up her back, never once did he flinch away from her as she told her story.

He carried her into her up the steps to her apartment that night, he put her to bed and when he moved to leave she grabbed his hand and pleaded with him to stay, and he did. For her.

She could feel his eyes on the bruises covering her skin, on the fading ones on her stomach where her nightshirt rode up, the forming ones on her upper arms, the irritated bruises on her neck.  
"No one will ever hurt you again, Caroline. I promise you," she snuggled into him then, his arms coming round her shoulders and she didn't wince when his fingers brushed over her bruises, she just closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep.

A week later and she was working the mid-day shift at the diner, it was a slow day and she was sitting at the counter reading the newspaper when an article caught her eye. The guy she'd met, the one who'd hurt her and that she hadn't heard anything from since her admission to Klaus, his body had been found dismembered in a warehouse in Brooklyn, no leads on who had done it. She sipped her stale coffee slowly, waiting for the feelings of fear or disgust to settle in, they never did. Who had done it wasn't a question to her, she didn't need a confession to know it was Klaus, he'd promised no one would ever hurt her again, hadn't he? As sick as it was, the only thing she felt was grateful, she was grateful that he cared enough about her to do something like that. What did that say about her as a person? She didn't even care, she didn't have to be afraid anymore and that's all that mattered.

* * *

Things went back to normal, every night he was there to pick her up and every night she would smile when she saw him, neither of them mentioning what had happened.

"You really should consider finding new housing sweetheart," he told her one night and eyed her building in distain. She rolled her eyes and scoffed as one of his men opened the door for her.  
"Trust me, if I had the money I would. New York is an expansive place, I work two jobs to pay the rent in this place, I have to work three if I want something better." she said and leaned over to kiss his cheek as she did every night.

"Let me take you out tomorrow" he said and gripped her wrist before she could move away, she watched him closely before sighing and shaking her head.  
"I'm working tomorrow" he grinned and pulled her closer, his breath mingling with hers, their lips were so close.  
"I know the owner," he breathed and she swallowed before pulling back and shaking her head, trying to come up with another excuse.  
"I don't think that's a good idea" she said finally and he released her wrist.  
"Why not?" why did he have to be so stubborn? Why couldn't he see that this wouldn't be good, that she wouldn't be enough for him, she couldn't ever be.  
"Because I think I'm falling for you," she admitted in a whisper, not looking at him before sliding out of the car and practically jogging to the front door. She fiddled with her keys, her hands shaking so bad her keys were jiggling in her grip.  
"So take a chance," his voice came from behind and he reached around her to steady her hands, his figure behind her was both terrifying and welcoming. What if she did give in to him and he decided he didn't want her anymore, she didn't think she could take that.

"Why me?" she said finally and turned to face him, her eyes locking with his steady gaze.  
"Your strong, beautiful and full of light. Just take a chance, Caroline" he dared her as his hands came up to cup her cheeks, she inhaled quickly before leaning up to press her lips against his softly. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?


	4. Chapter 4: Winning her back part 1

She was leaving. A note on the bedstand along with her engagement ring and a folder with some very incriminating pictures was all she left behind, even though it killed her to walk out the door. Caroline was a lot of things, but a women who tolerated cheating wasn't one of them. She'd suspected for a while now, there had been subtle signs that she had chosen to ignore because she hadn't wanted to admit the truth to herself, but coming home one day and finding lingerie by the bed that didn't belong to her, that was pretty much the nail in the coffin on their relationship.

She had no disullotions about Klaus, knew he wasn't just going to let her go, but that's why she'd taken the cowards way out and left without saying goodbye. She still loved him, despite her broken heart and the betrayal she felt, she couldn't stop loving him with a snap of her fingers. It would all be a lot easier if she could. Instead she was going back home for a while, spending some time with her mom and her friends from back home might help her move on, start over somewhere else with a clean slate. Maybe she'd decide to stay in Mystic Falls, meet a nice normal guy to build a life with. A life where she could have a white picket fence, a dog and a couple of kids when that time came, and one day she might wake up and be happy again.

Katherine was the only person who knew where she was going, she didn't trust anyone else not to give up her location to Klaus and she had taken every possible precaution to make sure he wouldn't be able to find her. She'd exchanged her phone for a burner with a concealed number that only her mom and Katherine had, she'd sold her old car and gotten a new one to drive to Mystic Falls in, and she was only using cash as of now. Nothing that would leave any sort of digital footprint that he could trace to find her. She knew he'd find her eventually, but it would take some time, and hopefully by then she would have moved on enough that she'd be able to look him in the eyes and tell him with conviction that they were over.

She wasn't taking a whole lot of things with her, most of what she had in this house was things he'd bought for her and she didn't want any of it, not anymore.

"You're sure about this?" Caroline slammed the trunk of her car and met the eyes of Katherine who was seeing her off.  
"Yeah, I need to get away from this place. It hurts, you know?" Caroline could see it in Kat's eyes, the urge to say "I told you so", but she was grateful that her friend decided to keep it in. She didn't need anyone else reminding her of how big of an idiot she had been, this was her own mess and she was doing her best to keep it together.  
"He's going to come looking for you, Caroline. You better be ready to face him when that time comes," Caroline wasn't sure she would ever be ready for that time, but she nodded and stepped up to embrace her friend in a long hug goodbye.  
"Take care of yourself Kat, don't be a stranger." They both knew that in order for Caroline to get away, she would have to cut contact with anyone who might lead him to her, including Katherine, but Caroline couldn't dwell on that right now, she wasn't ready to leave Kat behind too. Not yet.  
"You too Care. Be safe, alright?" Caroline pulled back with a smile and with Katherine's words in her mind, she left New York and a broken heart behind.

* * *

"I brought popcorn!" Caroline laughed as she pulled Bonnie into a hug, they were having a sleepover at her house, just her, Bonnie and Elena and it felt like the good old times again. She'd been home for three weeks, mostly spending her days couped up inside her mom's house and thinking, which wasn't good for her. Elena and Bonnie had decided they were done letting her wallow, and pretty much ordered her to stop feeling sorry for herself and start living her life again.  
"Great, I have tequila and Elena brought the movies," Laughing, Bonnie followed her into the kitchen where Elena was busy preparing mojitoes, because they couldn't have a girls night without mojitoes and they had the house all to themselves, her mom working the graveyard shift and all.

"Hey, did you bring the popcorn?" Elena had arrived in her pj's, demanding to know everything about Caroline's life in New York, and she'd been able to stall by saying she'd tell them everything as soon as Bonnie arrived.  
"Of course, aaand... I brought some of my grams herbs too, in case we decide to get really crazy," Caroline couldn't even begin to imagine the look on her mom's face if she found out they'd been smoking pot in her house, but she couldn't deny it was an appealing thought. Getting drunk and a little high with her best friends, might be exactly what she needed to start over.

"I'll mix the brownie batter," Brushing past Elena, Caroline grabbed a bowl and all the ingredients she needed from the pantry, Bonnie volunteering to help lick the bowl clean and for the first time in a long time, Caroline started to feel like herself again.

* * *

"Oh my god, I can't believe you just said that!" Doubled over in laughter as Elena hit her with a pillow, Caroline put her hands over her head to shield herself from the onslaught.

They were in the livingroom, catching up on each others life, and Caroline hadn't been able to help herself when she heard about Elena's many romantic escapades in college, and she may or may not have called Elena a slut.  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" huffing, Elena dropped the pillow and slumped down in the couch next to her, folding her arms over her chest she looked at Bonnie who was curled up on the chair with a cheesy smile and a mojito.  
"I am not a slut," Caroline had been able to reign in her laugh, but as soon as those words left Elena's mouth, she couldn't stop herself.

"It's not funny, stop laughing!" Hitting her over the head one more time, Caroline bit the inside on her cheek and nodded.  
"I know, I'm sorry," It was damn hard staying serious, but somehow she managed to it.

"Ugh, let's talk about something else. Care, you've heard ours, now it's your turn. Spill already," It wasn't difficult staying serious after that. Clutching a pillow to her chest, she took a moment to consider just how much she wanted to share with her friends. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, it was just... she doubted they would understand. As much as she loved them, both Bonnie and Elena had a tendency to be judgemental, and the last thing she needed right now was judgement for her poor decisions. She was beating herself up enough as it was, she didn't need their added disapproval to that.

"New York was... to be completely honest, it was rough. I lived in a shitty apartment in a bad neighborhood and for a long time I worked two jobs just to make rent. Their was this cute little diner right around the corner from my apartment, I really liked it there and the people I worked with were really nice, and then at night I worked in a... gentleman's club."

Pausing, she looked over the pillow to gauge their reactions, worried that they'd think less of her because of what she'd done, but none of them said anything and she felt a little better. She hadn't told her mom about the gentleman's club, only the diner, and she wanted to keep it that way, not that she thought Elena and Bonnie would spill or anything.

"Anyway, the club was really classy actually, it was about the quiet atmosphere and easy company more than anything else. I became really good friends with another girl who worked there, April, we just immediately hit it off, you know. Then one night, April got sick and had to go home, and I volunteered to cover her customers for the night, and that's when I met him..."

Memories of that first night flashed before her eyes, and it all just seemed like a distant dream now, everything had happened so fast after that.

"Him, who's _him_?" Bonnie sipped at her mojito and Caroline wrapped her arms tighter around the pillow.

"His name was Klaus, and it was obvious from the beginning that he was this big deal. He was Kol's brother, the owner of the club, and there was just something about him. He fascinated me, in ways I can't even begin to explain, but already that first night I knew getting involved with him was dangerous. Klaus wasn't - _isn't - _a good guy, but you both know how I am with bad boys. But he was really good to me, he made sure I got home safely every night, and he took care of me when I felt like I was all alone in the world. I fell in love,"

And she was still in love, but she couldn't allow herself to think like that, not if she wanted to move on with her life.

"What happened?" Elena's expression was worried, and Caroline would gladly take worry over judgement every day.

"It was good for a while, really good actually. We took things slow at first, he took me out on dates to fancy restaurants and bought me rediculously expensive clothes and jewlery, and after about six months of dating, he asked me to move in with him. I was so in love with him at that point, I didn't even hesitate, and I loved going to sleep in his arms and waking up to him every morning. He asked me to marry him just before last christmas."

Bonnie and Elena's replies were unanimous as they both yelled, "What!?"

"I know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys, but I wanted to tell you face-to-face, it was such a huge thing. I thought I'd finally found my happy ending. Then, about three months ago, he changed... I can't really put my fingers on it, but something was different... Three weeks ago I came home and found unfamiliar lingerie by the bed, I packed my bags and left that same night,"

Up until that point she'd been able to keep it at a distance, but talking about it, made everything so much more real. She had to stop ignoring the facts and face the truth, her life in New York was over and it was about time she came to terms with that.

"I'm sorry, Care," shrugging, she let go of the pillow and replaced it with the popcorn bowl.  
"It is what it is, I'm done crying about it. Now, it's time to turn a new leaf, I was thinking I might apply to college in the fall. Get that public relations degree I always wanted,"

Bonnie and Elena second her notion, and Caroline was relieved when Bonnie suggested they watch a movie and Elena grabbed the brownies and icecream from the kitchen.

With "White Chicks" on the screen, the third of a pint of chocolate chip ice cream in her bowl, and her best friends by her side, Caroline snuggled deeper into the couch and thought that maybe, just maybe, things would work themselves out after all.

* * *

Klaus knew when he was being lied to, it was a professional trait he'd aquired over the years of running his criminal empire, and Katherine Pearce was most definetely lying to him. The only reason he hadn't dragged her down to the basement and tortured the truth out of her, was because of her relationship with his brother, and because he was pretty sure the only torture the bulgarian diva would respond to, was if he ruined all of her designer shoes.

"She's lying Elijah, Katherine know where Caroline is," his brother gave him one of those disapproving looks he had perfected so well over time, and Klaus felt his temper was close to igniting if he didn't get his answers soon.

"Perhaps, but for whatever reason she refuses to tell you, I am sure they are justified. She told me why Caroline left you Niklaus, maybe it was for the best, Caroline certainly doesn't deserve your recent treatment of her,"

The way Caroline had so easily fit into his life, how his family had accepted her instantly, was something he had valued greatly, but this unbidden consequence of them helping to keep her from him, was something he would much rather be without.

"My relationship with Caroline is none of your business, Elijah. I will find her, with or without your help, it's only a matter of time,"

Elijah stood from his seat and straightened the lapels of his jacket, running a hand down his tie, Klaus wondered why his brother kept insisting on staying so put together all the time. Even in the confines of his own home, Elijah never wore anything but those damn suits.

"And what will you do when you find her, brother? Force her to love you? The only thing you will achieve in doing so, is making her hate you. I advice you to take some time and consider your actions carefully before you approach her.  
She may still love you, perhaps you can sway her to take you back, but do so with care, not by force or you will never earn her trust again."

Hours after Elijah had left, his words still lingered in Klaus mind, and as much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right.  
If he wanted to win Caroline back, he had to renege all of his usual tactics and go about it more carefully. He would woo her, shower her with gifts and romantic gestures, and he would keep apologizing until she believed him. Only one thing he knew without a doubt, no matter how long it took, he would win her back. Anything else was not acceptable.

* * *

Caroline was excited, she had applied for a job at the local news station as a directors assistant, and she'd gotten it.  
Today was her first day, and she was all dressed up and ready to go. Grabbing a banana and energy bar as a quick breakfast, she poured fresh coffee onto her thermo cup and grabbed her purse and keys of the counter.

She'd made it three steps from the front door when she froze. Her mom was standing in the middle of the livingroom, hands on her hips, Elizabeth Forbes did a slow turn and arched her brow before sweeping out with a hand and saying,  
"Care to explain?"

The living room was filled with dozens, maybe hundreds of roses, in varying colors from white to red and a long velvet jewlery box was sitting on the coffeetable, wrapped in a nice white bow and a card sitting next to it.

Walking past her mom, she put her things down on the table and picked up the box with shaky fingers. She wasn't ready to see what the card said, not yet. Gently opening the bow, she flipped back the lid and sucked in a breath as she picked up the rolled up pargament inside.

Aware of her mothers eyes on her back, she unrolled the paper and felt tears fill her eyes, turning her vision blurry.

It was sketch of her, done in beautiful elegant strokes, and she traced her fingers along the lines. She was sleeping in the picture, curled up on the fur in front of the blazing fireplace in the parlor of Klaus New York townhouse. She remembered that night so clearly, it was the night he proposed, and as she looked closer she could see it right there in the drawing, his engagement ring on her finger on top of the duvane covering her from the chest-down.

With the drawing in her hand, she picked up the card and felt like she'd been ran over by a truck as she took in the beautiful caligraphy she knew so well

_ ~ Forgive me - K ~_

She had to sit down. All of this, the roses, the sketch, the card, it was too much, and it was all proof of one undeniable thing. Klaus had found her, how didn't matter, now he knew where she was and it was only a matter of time before he came for her.

* * *

She was going crazy! The incessant man wouldn't give up. For weeks he'd been showering her with roses, her favorite brand of chocolate, diamonds and dozens of drawings. She was trying so hard to stay strong, to not give in to his attempts to win her back. But with every card - everyone inscribed with the same "Forgive me" as the first - she could feel her resolve slipping.

Maybe if he'd found her a little later, when she'd been more healed and stronger from leaving, she would have been able to resist him, but now she could feel her will crumbling to so much doubt.

Her mom and friends all found her frustration highly amusing, Bonnie had told her to stay strong and ride it out, but Elena, ever the romantic, had said that maybe giving him a second chance wouldn't be so bad. He clearly loved her and missed her, he wouldn't go through all this trouble if he didn't. Except none of her friends knew Klaus, Bonnie didn't how persistent and stubborn he was, and Elena didn't realize just how much of a risk giving him a second chance would be.

That's why, friday night she found herself having drinks with Matt and Enzo at the grill, desperately needing a male opinion on her current predicament.

"Jesus, how much?" Sighing, Caroline took a sip of her margarita and twirled a strand of her hair around her index.  
"Ten grand," Klaus's latest gift had been a hand crafted blue and purple diamond butterfly pendant she'd fallen in love with on one of their shopping sprees months ago, and he had wanted to give it to her then, but she had refused because of the ridiculously high price.

"Seriously, does this guy shit money or something?" She couldn't tell them the truth about where Klaus got his money, without revealing too much about who he was, but he was filthy rich all right.

"Way I see it gorgeous, your man has the serious hots for you if he's throwing that kind of money around. Why did you break up with him again?" And there lay the source of her predicament. She couldn't help that she was still in love with him, but Klaus wasn't the first guy to cheat on her, and she had promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't forgive something like that.

Cheating was the worst betrayal in any kind of relationship, if it had happened while they were still just seeing each other, she might have been able to overlook it, but they were engaged when he cheated on her. How was she supposed to ever trust him again?

"He cheated on me, Enzo. I can't just let that go," Enzo had been her friend since he first moved to town five years ago, he'd been a shameless flirter and had made it abundantly clear from the first night they met, that he wanted to get into her pants. Weird as it was, she had found his honesty refreshing, also it didn't hurt that he was seriously cute and funny either, but they had never been more than just good friends.

"No one says you should, love. I'm not telling you to forgive the bloke, but let me tell you a little secret about us men. We're not perfect, we fuck up and make mistakes, that's just how we are. More often than not we're led around by our cocks and that's the god awful truth right there. That doesn't mean we don't regret it, certainly seems like he does,"

Caroline hated it, but Enzo was right. It was easy for her to climb on her high horse and judge Klaus for his mistakes, but she'd done her fear share of blunders in their relationship too, and he never held it against her. Still, she would never cheat on him.

"I don't know what you want to hear, Care. He fucked up big time, but Enzo's right, he obviously feels sorry for hurting you and he's trying really hard to win you back. Why not just throw him a bone, tell him you want to take things slow, give him a chance to earn back your trust,"

Matt's sensible words was with her as she crawled into bed later that night, and as she turned of the light and closed her eyes she came to a decision. Klaus wasn't going to stop, and she _was _flattered that he was trying so hard. As long as he kept his distance, she was safe for the time being, but when he showed up at her door, and she knew he would... maybe throwing him a bone - like Matt had suggested - might not be such a bad thing.

* * *

"Mom, I'm leaving now, don't wait up!" As Caroline buttoned up her favorite red wintercoat and wrapped her merino scarf aroun her neck, her mom poked her head out from the kitchen with a smile.  
"Okay honey, have fun, drive safe and give Enzo my best."

She was pretty sure her mom thought she was going on a date, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Klaus hadn't stopped his courting yet, and she knew that's what he was doing, it was like he'd taken a page out of Elijah's books and she was almost positive that Elijah was helping him orchestrate the entire thing.

His last round of gift had been the complete set of Jane Austen in first editions, and she hated him for knowing her so well. The moment she had laid eyes on Elijah's book collection, she had been in love, and Klaus had noticed. He had bought her books before, and she loved those gifts just as much, if not more than the diamonds and designer clothes, because the books spoke to a louder sense of intimacy. That he had taken time and paid attention to her favorite genres and authors, it always warmed her heart, and this time it wasn't any different. The strange thing about these last strings of gifts, there was no card. Maybe he was giving up? She didn't like the way her heart clenched at the thought, but maybe it was for the best.

Stepping onto the front porch and locking the door behind her, she turned around and stopped breathing.

In her driveway, walking towards her, was Klaus. Dressed casually in jeans and a dark jacket, he walked up her porch and held out a single red rose, hesitant smile on a face she knew as well as her own.

"Forgive me?" She was like a deer in headlights, rooted to the spot and heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest, she stared at the rose. Suddenly, the missing card made all the sense in the world, and she wanted to smack herself for being so stupid.

"I-" before she had time to reply, another car pulled up in the driveway and Enzo got out, resting his arm on the roof, he arched a brow and called out, "coming gorgeous?"

Glancing at Klaus she watched his jaw hardened and eyes narrow as he looked at Enzo, and the distraction Enzo had caused spurred her into action. Tightening the jacket around her shoulders more firmly, Caroline stepped forward and accepted the rose, bringing Klaus attention back on her.

"Thank you, it's beautiful. I'm so sorry, but I have to go, I'll call you later, okay? I really want to talk to you," Klaus seemed shocked by her abrupt reply, and before he had time to stop her, she stepped around him and hurried down the steps.

Sliding into the passenger seat of Enzo's car, she ordered him to drive and forced herself not to look back as they left her driveway.

* * *

Klaus slammed the door to his hotelroom. He knew he should never have listened to Elijah, and his stupid plan to woo Caroline back. Apart from that very first moment of surprise, she hadn't seemed even remotely affected by seeing him, and then she'd left with another man.

**_Another man!_**

Spinning around he punched his hand into the wall, so angry he barely registered the pain from the impact. Too long, he had waited too damn long and now she was with someone else!

Taking a deep breath he tossed his jacket onto the bed, and poured himself a large glass of bourbon, throwing it all back at once. He'd been an idiot for not going after her sooner, he should have gone to find her the second he realized where she was, but like a complete tosser he'd waited as Elijah had suggested.

Pouring himself another drink, he paced the floor, furious with himself, he was in no mood for company when there was a knock on his door.

* * *

She couldn't concentrate, her mind on Klaus the entire time, it took Enzo snapping his fingers in front of her face to bring her back to the real world. Feeling guilty, she gave him a sheepish look and he rolled his eyes.

"That was him, wasn't it?" Nodding, she fiddled with her napkin, glancing at the rose lying on the table.  
"I'm sorry," Enzo waved off her apology and hailed over their waitor, the pretty brunette blushed when he said,  
"Sorry love, we're going to need that food wrapped up, blondie over here have a man to go see,"

As the waitress scurried away to relay the message and grab their check, Caroline felt Enzo was truly the best friend a girl could have. And as the waitress came back with their food, and Enzo paid the bill, she swore she'd find a way to make it up to him.

"Don't worry about it, gorgeous. I'm sure I can find company elsewhere," she had no doubt about that. Enzo was the perfect blend of bad boy and charming, he would have no trouble finding some willing female to keep him company for the night.

As for her, well she wasn't really sure what would happen from that moment on, all she knew was that she needed to see him.

* * *

"What?!" his bad tempered snarl when he wrenched open the door was actually pretty cute, especially since she recognized his jealousy when she saw him. Biting her lip to contain her smile, she held up the bag of food and the cheap winebottle she'd bought from the 24/7 vendor across from the hotel.  
"Can I come in?"

Klaus wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, but he wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth. His temper cooling considerably now that she was here, he stepped back and let her pass him before closing the door behind her.

God, she was beautiful. He was like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time, as he watched her put down the take-away containers and wine and slip out of her jacket and scarf. Even wearing the simple ensemble of faded jeans and a white sweater, she was more beautiful then he could ever remember.

"How did you find me?" Turning to face him, she awarded him with that smile he loved so much, and her eyes were filled with amusement when she said, "This is Mystic Falls, there aren't that many decent hotels around,"

He loved her voice, hadn't realized until just then how much, and he could listen to her talk all day if she'd let him. His life, his world was so filled with nothing but darkness, but Caroline she was pure light and he wanted to spend the rest of his life basking in it.

"How was your date?" He couldn't help the edge in his voice, the anger of seeing her leave with another man still fresh in memory, and she rolled her eyes before kicking of her shoes and climbing onto his bed and started unwrapping the food.  
"Stop being so grumpy and grab a couple of glasses, the food is getting cold,"

Calmed by her acerbic reply, he did as ordered and opened the winebottle as she spread out the different array of food between them.  
"I didn't know what you felt like, so I got a little bit of everything. The stake is for you though, medium rare, just as you like it," He was touched that she'd remembered, that she'd gone through the consideration of bringing him his favorite food, he took that as a positive sign.

"Thank you,"

They ate in comfortable silence, and once they were done, he watched her pack up the empty containers and carry them to the trashbin before rejoining him on the bed.

"Enzo is just a friend by the way, in case you're still wondering," In fact he had been, but her reassurance helped squash the residue feelings of jealousy still sizzling in his blood.

"I miss you, Caroline. Come home, please?" Her lashes lowered, a finger circling the rim of her glass, and there was no smile when she looked at him again.

"I miss you too, I'm not going to deny that, but... you cheated on me Klaus, you broke my heart, you can't expect me to just forget that." Reaching over, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing a kiss along her knuckles.

"I don't, I know I hurt you, love and there isn't a day I don't wish I could go back and change what I did. All I'm asking is another chance. An opportunity to proove myself worthy of your love."

Caroline wanted to believe him so badly, she could see the sincerity in his eyes, read it in his voice and she was so close to giving in.

"If I say yes, we need to take things slow, like when we first-started-dating-slow, and I need you to be okay with that. I need time Klaus, please understand that," He wasn't happy about it, all he wanted was to have her back in his arms where she belonged, but if slow what was she needed, then he would give it to her.

For Caroline, he'd do anything.

"Slow," he agreed, and when she leaned over and kissed him, he swore he would never let her go again. She was his, his to love, his to cherish, his to protect. And she owned him, every dark corner of his soul, and his black ruthless heart, he would sacrifice it all in a heartbeat for her.


	5. Chapter 5: Taking him back

He was really trying, she had to give him that, but just because he found new ways to charm her and shower her with priceless gifts every day it didn't mean she was ready to forgive him. He had really hurt her, and the worst part was that he wouldn't even talk to her about it. Caroline knew most girls who decided to stay with the guys that cheated on them liked to pretend it never happened, or found some way to convince themselves that it didn't mean anything, but she wasn't like most things. She couldn't get on with their relationship until he was honest with her and told her why he did it, and as hard as it would be, she needed to know the name of the woman he had been with. Telling him that on the other hand, was a different matter all together, because whenever she so much as broached the subject he would just completely shut down on her. Obviously there was something he didn't want her to know, but Caroline Forbes was nothing if not resourceful, and she had contacts of her own who could dig out the information she wanted for her.

She had spent most of the day in her room, her studies were taking up so much of her time that she'd barely socialized with anyone over the past week at all. Klaus would check in on her every so often, he even brought her food on the nights she'd forgotten to come down for dinner, and she enjoyed those quiet moments between them. He would always stay with her while she ate, asking her about her day and her studies, and she would ask him in return. For those few hours it was almost like they were just two completely normal people living ordinary lives.

Closing her laptop she put in on the nightstand and shoved her books into her bag, stretching her arms over her head and craning her neck to loosen the kinks that came with too many hours of studying. Exams were only a few weeks away and she was looking forward to be done with it all, to finally have some free time on her hands again. She didn't regret her decision to go back to school, it made her feel more like she was on steady ground having the freedom and means to provide for herself in case things didn't work out after all. She knew that if Klaus had his way, he would provide everything for her, but being completely dependant on him wasn't something she could ever be comfortable with.

Walking over to her window she pulled back the curtains and glanced outside at the massive property that belonged to Klaus and his family. The Villa itself was huge, ten bedrooms over three floors with the addition of a private guesthouse at the far end of the property grounds. Even with the entire family living there, it was still plenty of room to move around without actually living on top of each other. Rebekah and Stefan occupied the master suite on the third floor, Klaus the one on the second floor and Elijah lived with his wife Katherine in the guest house at the moment. Katherine was five months pregnant, it was driving her crazy and so she was driving everyone else crazy, which was why Elijah had made the decision to move them to the guest house for the duration of her pregnancy.

Caroline had her bedroom on the second floor, three doors down from Klaus, and weird as it was, somehow that made her feel safer. Not that anyone uninvited could even get onto the property. Tall fences surrounded the property on all sides, the massive front gate was the only way in our out and the house and grounds were always guarded by atleast six guards at any given moment. In some ways it was almost like a prison, she couldn't leave the property without at least two guards if she wasn't with Klaus or any of his siblings, the same went for Rebekah and she was a part of the family for christ sakes.

It was a quiet night, the sky was a deep navy blue littered with billions of brilliant shining stars, and the moon was huge and glowing. It was a nice night for a walk. Releasing her hold on the curtains, she walked over to her walk-in-closet (yes, she actually had one of those), and grabbed black yoga pants and a soft green cashmere sweater that Bonnie had gifted her for christmas last year.

After returning to New York five months ago she'd kept in regular touch with her friends from back home. Bonnie was out exploring the world, having recently reconnected with her mother they were traveling the world together and Bonnie was having the time of her life. The last post-card she'd sent her had been from Greece, she'd talked about seeing the Panthenon and how beautiful Athens was, and how they were heading to Italy and Venice next. Caroline was really happy for her, Bonnie deserved to have a little fun after always having to be so serious, even when they were kids.  
Elena had moved to London of all things, persuing a career in medicine she'd been offered an internship at some really prestigious private clinic, and it was good for Elena to get a fresh start. She had been through hell in High School when her parents died, having to deal with the loss of her parents as well as her brothers acting out, and starting over somewhere else might be exactly what she needed.

Matty was engaged now, he'd met the love of his life in a fellow cop named Penny, and they were all set to get married in two-months time. She was definetely going back to Mystic Falls for that, she wouldn't miss his wedding for the world. As for Enzo, well he was jetsetting all around the world as well. Last she heard from him he was headed to Italy, maybe he and Bonnie would meet up. They would be a cute couple.

Smiling at that thought, she released her hair from the bobby pins keeping it tied up, and pulled on her sneakers. Grabbing her phone and earplugs she left her room and walked down the hall, her hand trailing along the banister as she went. She hesitated by the stairs, glancing towards the room that belonged to Klaus. She could see the light beneath his doors, could hear him moving around inside, and without giving herself a chance to rethink her decision she walked over and knocked on his door. Shifting on her feet she counted inside her head, she got to five before the door was pulled opened and Klaus stood in front of her dressed in nothing but a pair of dark jeans. His hair was damp, _he'd showered then, _and her eyes roamed over his naked chest without her own volition, tracing the lines of his tattooes. He really was beautiful, she had never been immune to his looks and she wasn't now either, but she'd built up a certain tolerance over the time they'd been separated.

"Caroline, is something wrong, love?" His forehead creased in worry and she focused her attention back on his face, shaking her head with a soft smile.  
"No, I was just heading out for a walk and I was thinking maybe you'd like to come with me?" They had never simply taken a walk together before, which was incredibly silly considering, and she might actually finally get him to open up if she played her cards right.

"I - yes, just let me put on a shirt." Smiling, she leaned casually against his doorjam and scrolled through her e-mails while she waited for him, she really just did it to pass the time.

"Allright, let's go," Looking up from her phone she stepped back the same time he stepped out and closed the door behind him. He held out his arm in invitation, and she didn't think twice about accepting. She really did want things to work between them, she just needed him to be honest with her before they could move forward again.

* * *

Klaus had never gone on a romantic walk under the moonlight in his entire life, but with Caroline he found himself doing a lot of things he had never done before. Romance was never truly something he had bothered with at all, before Caroline he had never seen the need for or wanted to be in any sort of relationship, believing the whole concept of monogamy to be idiotic. But then, he had never met a woman like Caroline before, and Caroline wasn't the kind of woman a sane man would ever let go.

He knew he had screwed up with her, but he didn't do what he did without reason. The reasons were many and far more complicated than he could ever begin to explain to her, but he had come to see recently that his relationship with Caroline wouldn't move forward until he told her the truth. But to do so, he would have to tell her everything.

"How is the studying going?" Caroline sighed beside him and glanced up at the stars, a beautiful smile curving her full delicate lips.  
"It's fine I guess, I'm just a little tired. How is everything with you?" Such an everyday question, and yet he knew she was just warming him up for the heavier questions she really wanted to ask him.  
"Things have been a little hectic as of lately, but nothing I can't handle." They walked in silence for another five to ten minutes, her hand curved into his elbow and he took his time admiring everything about her. Caroline was... Caroline was pure light, so vibrant and full of life, if he was a better man he would have stayed away when she left him. But he wasn't a good man, he was selfish and possessive and he wanted Caroline to himself.

"Why did you do it?" And there it was, the question he had been expecting and found himself uncertain as to how to respond.  
"It's complicated, love. But hurting you, that was never part of the plan. I'm not asking you to forget or even forgive me for what I did, all I'm asking for is a second chance."  
"I need to know the truth, Klaus. I'm ready to give you that chance, but I can't do that without knowing everything." He had already guessed as much, but the truth was a difficult subject for him.

"Then I'll have to start at the very beginning, it might take all night." Caroline only arched a challenging brow in response and he chuckled, of course that wouldn't stop her, who was he kidding.

"When I was sixteen my father sent me away to boardingschool in Switzerland, and normally that wouldn't be anything unusual where wealthy families are concerned, but none of my siblings were sent away with me or before me. My relationship with my father was always strained, Mikael wasn't a good man, he was a lousy husband to my mother and a horrible father to his children. However on the outside he was always quite insistant on keeping up perfect appearances. Elijah and my oldest brother Finn were perfect sons, I in comparison was nothing but trouble. At first I thought that was the reason he sent me away, but a few years later I discovered the truth. My mother had an affair with another man before I was born and I was the result of that affair. In Mikaels eyes I was a stain on his otherwise perfect reputation.  
Finn was the one originally planned to take over the family business, but he was too weak, always a mamas-boy that one, and Elijah didn't want the position as head of the family. Mikael, realizing his two favored sons would not succeed him, saw that despite us not being biologically related, I was the one of the children most similar to him. So, when I returned home after my eighteenth birthday, he attempted to have me killed. I saw it coming, was prepared when it happened, and the result of his failed assasination attempt was his entire family turning against him. My siblings decided to allign themselves with me, and together we shoved Mikael out of the empire he built for himself."

* * *

Caroline listened, fascinated and heartbroken about everything he told her about his childhood. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it had been like. She had always had parents who loved and cherished her, to even so much as think that her parents might want her dead was ludicrous.

"After that, Mikael made it his mission in life to ruin mine whatever the costs. The woman I cheated on you with, her name is Genevieve, she's a close associate of Mikael. I wanted information from her, seducing her was the easiest solution, I know it's inexcusable but that was all it was. I had some information that Mikael was planning a move against us, and I needed to learn the details."

Caroline wasn't really sure how she felt now that she knew the real truth.

"Why couldn't you just torture it out of her?" Shocked by her own muttered words and the fact that it had been an honest question, she stopped and slapped a hand over her mouth. That didn't sound like her at all, she didn't go around torturing people for information. But... Klaus did. She had always known what kind of man he was, what he did and the dark world he lived in, so for that matter it had been a valid a question. It did however made her wonder what it said about her how easy she just threw that out there, because the small town girl who had grown up the daughter of Sheriff, would never have even thought to say something like that.

To her surprise, Klaus turned to face her and reached up with both hands to cup her face, his eyes boring into hers, almost making her forget how to breathe.  
"You're so good, Caroline. You deserve better than me, better than this darkness I've pulled you into, but god help me I can't let you go." Swallowing under the force of his words, she reached up with her own hands to curl around his wrists.  
"I can see it in your eyes, the horror you feel at your own words, and yet you speak the truth. Why not torture her? It's what I do after all." Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off before she could.  
"Don't deny it, love, we both know it's true. And the answer to your question is that Genevieve is a woman with many powerful connections, torturing her could lead to a war I have no intention of bringing upon my family." She could understand that, the one thing she had always admired about Klaus was his utter loyalty to his family, his irrevocable need to keep those he loved safe and protected. Sighing, she broke eye contact and dropped her hands to her side.  
"Did you at least get the information you needed then?" She so hoped the answer was yes, that all the hurt hadn't been for nothing.

"No, unfortunately not. But I have other ways of finding out the things I need to know," Of course he did, and part of her wanted to know more, wanted to dig deeper until she knew everything, but another part of her was reluctant to go down that path. As soon as she started asking those questions, she was crossing a line there would be no going back from and considering the delicate state of their relationship at the moment, it didn't seem like a very good idea.

"Now what?" She wasn't really sure what she was asking about, if she was asking about them or him, but somehow she knew the answer to her question was vital for their relationship going forward.  
"I don't know, to tell you the truth. All I know is that I'm not able to let you go, Caroline. You are light where I am nothing but darkness, and that light is so addictive. Give me another chance, love, let us start over." Sucking in breath she searched his eyes to see if he was truly being serious, if he really wanted to start things fresh. It seemed like a silly notion given all the history between them, but she so wanted to grab onto what he was offering her. A chance to start over. She could see no lies in his eyes, and she wasn't strong enough to resist him.

"Okay, let's do it, let's start over." His answering smile was beautiful and genuine and so incredibly refreshing.  
"Let me take you on a date tomorrow, dinner in the city, maybe a movie if you'd like." A date sounded incredibly appealing, especially considering the fact that things had moved so quickly between them the first time around, they had pretty muched skipped the whole dating-thing.  
"I'd like that," And as they walked back towards the house, elbows linked, she was thinking that maybe things would work themselves out after all.


End file.
